UPDATE: Microsoft admitted they made a mistake and has updated their training policy.
Ok, now this is getting redonkulous. Xbox has been suspending gamers for some time for mentioning or otherwise referencing their sexual orientation in their gamer profiles, but now they’ve gone ahead and banned a guy because he said he lives in “Fort Gay.” Huh huh, Beavis indeed, but there is a real town called Fort Gay. It’s in West Virginia, and that’s where the guy really lives.
Despite Xbox recently changing its policy to allow folks to describe their sexual orientation in their gamer profile, Super Street Fighter IV fan Shmoo found his Xbox Live account suspended for breaking their Code of Conduct. His gamer bio states, “Bio Ich bin ein homosexueller Mann in einer großen schlechten Stadt. Ich mag kleine Kuchen und Cheeseburgers.” Which translates from German to, “I am a gay man in a big bad city. I like cupcakes and cheeseburgers.” This, apparently, was verboten. [More]
Did you know that “free” is basically the same thing as $10? Neither did Jer, until he went to renew his Xbox Live account. He tells Consumerist that along with his account expiration date, he discovered the most baffling pricing scheme this side of Target. [More]
When a woman emailed Xbox support about downgrading her Xbox LIVE Gold account to Silver, they sent her back a form letter that assumed she was contacting them on behalf of her son, even though she doesn’t have a son and never made mention of one at all. Hey Microsoft! Ever hear of GIRL GAMERS? [More]
The Kinect, a sensor thingy for Xbox that was not received favorably at E3, will apparently cost $150, or $300 if you buy in a bundle with a newish-betterish-Xbox 360. [More]
Have a Gold Xbox Live account? Want to catch the latest in bass fishing, Aussie rules football and high school volleyball? You may just be in luck. ESPN has cut a deal with Microsoft to provide its streaming ESPN3 service — which includes all of these events, as well as the latest in cricket and poker — to many Xbox 360 owners with Gold accounts. Okay, you’re not limited to just those sports. ESPN3 also has the FIFA World Cup, a selection of MLB games — and the Scripps National Spelling Bee. [More]
Reader Colin has run into something we’ve seen many times before. Best Buy sold him what we call a “Box of Crap,” in this case, an XBox that someone else had swapped out with their modded, broken one. Best Buy’s policy is to refuse a return if the serial number on the Xbox doesn’t match the one on the receipt, so unless you actually open the box and check out the item before you leave the store — get ready for a battle. [More]
Jason went into GameStop to trade in his Xbox 360, and experienced something odd. He says they refused to take his trade-in unless he bought new non-HD cables so they could test the system with the non-HD TVs they had in the store. [More]
One of Xbox Live’s more irksome policies has been that if your gamertag happens to mention that you are gay or lesbian, that’s not permitted. (Or if you use your real name, which happens to contain the letters G-A-Y in that order.) But Microsoft has changed their code of conduct, and this policy is no more. [More]
Reader Bang’s says his wife wanted to surprise him (on Valentine’s Day) with a game. She didn’t know what console he had so she asked Best Buy for some help. They said he “probably” had an XBOX and sold her not only a game, but a non-refundable XBOX Live subscription. When the couple tried to exchange the purchase (he actually has a PS3), they say they were told the game could be swapped but they were stuck with the unopened, unused XBOX Live card. [More]
Adam writes, “I was flying out of Logan Airport and I checked my XBOX 360 in my baggage. The agent assured me that there would be no problem with it. When I got home my I found that they had put a little ziploc bag on top of my things, and the bag was filled with tiny metal components that used to be in the XBOX. It’s broken now and they’re telling me tough luck. Any advice?” [More]
A man in Michigan grew so angry that GameStop wouldn’t take back his Xbox without a receipt that he threatened to kill someone and went to get something from his vehicle. The GameStop clerk called 911, and “Four Troy police officers, armed with rifles, stormed into [the] Oakland Mall store” and subdued him. He had an illegal stun gun on him but no firearm. [More]
Microsoft has declared that the owners of banned Xbox consoles have no recourse and no choice but to buy new consoles. Some users see this as unfair and a vast Redmond conspiracy, and law firm AbingtonIP is fighting back with a class-action lawsuit. God bless America.
Last week Microsoft banned a crapload of modified XBOX 360s from XBOX Live. If you happen to be one of those people who don’t care about playing online, you might consider grabbing one on eBay or Craiglist. Then again, if you’re looking for an XBOX 360 that actually works with XBOX Live, you might want to be wary of buying a used one right now.
Reader Taylor is a little concerned about his laptop. It died on Halloween and he took it in to Best Buy the next day. Two weeks later, he typed his order number into the Geek Squad website and found that a little Halloween magic had taken place. His laptop was now an XBOX 360.
Are you one of the 1 million gamers that was recently banned from XBOX Live? Too bad, says the BBC. You’ll need to buy a new system.
Jeff can no longer play his two Xbox 360s online because Microsoft has banned him with no explanation. When he calls customer service, he says he’s accused of modding his consoles, which he insists he hasn’t.
